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LT1-Powered Camaro and Mustang GT 5.0 Lock Horns, Almost Nothing Between Them

Street racing doesn’t get much closer than this. We’ve got a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro LT1 and a 2017 Ford Mustang GT, both featuring manual gearboxes and very few modifications—nothing that would greatly influence the outcome of this straight-line battle.
2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT 6 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT2020 Camaro LT1 races a 2017 Mustang GT
Let’s start our analysis with the 2017 Mustang GT since it’s the older car. The description of the video mentions “cat deletes and an intake,” which wouldn’t add any considerable amount of horsepower to its Gen 2 Coyote V8 engine. As stock, this car would be putting down 435 hp (441 PS) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque, with everything going to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

If this were a Gen 1 Coyote unit (on an updated fifth-gen Mustang GT), the output would be either 412 hp (417 PS) or 420 hp (425 PS), depending on model year, while 2018-and-newer Mustangs feature Gen 3 engines, with 460 hp (466 PS) and 420 lb-ft of (569 Nm) torque on tap.

This 2020 Camaro LT1 also packs a six-speed manual transmission (fair is fair), although power comes from a larger 6.2-liter V8 (compared to the Mustang’s 5.0-liter unit), with stock outputs of 455 hp (461 PS) and 455 lb-ft (617 Nm) of torque, just like a Corvette C7.

The two muscle cars raced twice, the first time from 50 mph (80 kph) and then again from 40 mph (64 kph). The first race was cut short by the Mustang driver seemingly messing up one of his shifts (it was neck and neck before that moment), whereas the second race proved a little more conclusive.

These two cars are evenly matched, and both drivers did a good job (generally speaking) working those manual gearboxes. In the end, though, it was the Camaro that edged ahead just slightly, but it was enough for it to be considered the winner here.

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About the author: Sergiu Tudose
Sergiu Tudose profile photo

Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
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